Alabama coach Nick Saban didn’t waste any time on the SEC coaches media teleconference on Wednesday morning to offer his condolences on the passing of former Alabama coach Ray Perkins.
“The first thing I’d like to do is pass along from the Alabama nation, all the folks, our family, our condolences to Ray Perkins his family and friends,” Saban said. “You know represented the University of Alabama with a great class and integrity was a great coach and had a tremendous impact on the game. And he was a really, really good person. And a really good friend so like to say that to all the folks out there relative to our feelings about coach Perkins and all that he did to impact our game.”
Also on the teleconference, Tennessee coach Jeremy Pruitt added, “hate to hear that, great ambassador for our game and our league, very sorry to hear that.”
Perkins was 79, and had dealt with heart issues in recent years.
Perkins coached the Crimson Tide for 4 seasons in the mid-1980s with a record of 32-15-1, including a 3-0 record in bowl games. He eventually left Alabama following the 1986 season and signed a lucrative contract to take the head coaching job with the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in 1990.
Perkins came to Tuscaloosa in 1963 and was a star receiver on teams featuring quarterbacks Joe Namath, Steve Sloan and Ken Stabler from 1964-66. He was an All-American in 1966.
All-American, Coach, Athletics Director, Legend
Forever Crimson Tide. pic.twitter.com/L5T3IvBwWR
— Alabama Football (@AlabamaFTBL) December 9, 2020
A former newspaper veteran, Keith Farner is a news manager for Saturday Down South.
